This might also be a great opportunity for you to make sure you know the rules, there does not appear to be a great deal of difference just a change to the Section numbering on the Act relating to Section 40E

However, the Penalties in the Act have been beefed up that's for sure, such as the penalties for individuals committing unlawful mining operations has been increased from $100000 and $10000 per day to $150000 and $15000 Per day which is all the more reason you should understand the rules.

Have a look at the new prospecting in Western Australia "Your Rights and
Obligations When Prospecting" Look at the penalties page on page 14 of the new pamphlet for further information .

This has been an issue for us and we have been working frantically to change all the references on the Gold Prospecting WA website.

So far some pages have been completed and we are working on others which will be changed over the next few weeks.

The changes that will take a little more time will be the changes to videos created about How to Print A GRATICULAR Map and Apply For A Section 40E Permit (Formerly Section 20a Permit) and the "Easy Instructions on How To Use Tengraph Online Guide" on this page Tengraph Online but we are working on these.

In the meantime whenever you see the Term Section 20a Permit then substitute it with Section 40E Permit.

Satellite Phone Subsidy in Australia to be Removed!

Satellite phone subsidy is scheduled to be withdrawn by June this year which, if it happens, will mean the subsidy for eligible owners of up to 50% of the cost of the handset up to a maximum of $700 will not be available after June 2013.

Note that you must apply for the subsidy before you purchase the phone. Here is the link to the information relating to the scheme;

Link removed no longer exists
Shop around for your phone, I have one that I purchased called an Inmarsat Pro (IsatPhone Pro)which I bought off Behram Irani at GMDAS 107 Forsyth St O'Connor WA Tel: 08-9331 0000, I thought this was the best deal for me at the time. Mainly because we got a special deal through APLA but the deal still seems OK from GMDAS.

Contact Behram and see what deal you can get tell him Bill from www.gold-prospecting-wa.com sent you.

Disclaimer; We do not get any benefits or payments of any description from GMDAS nor are we connected to them in any
business sense except as a customer.

Udo and I believe that safety in the bush should be your first consideration and a Satellite Phone is a tool that is essential when you are prospecting!

Gold in Ants Nests?

This was in interesting article that caught my eye recently. You might be interested.

"We’re using insects to help find new gold and other mineral deposits. These resources are becoming increasingly hard to find because much of the Australian landscape is covered by a layer of eroded material that masks what’s going on deeper underground,” Dr Aaron Stewart, CSIRO entomologist said

NOTE this link has been removed because the CSIRO page has been removed sorry....Bill